


Mini-Button

by TuppingLiberty



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Being an Uncle or Aunt is the best, Canon Compliant, David has mild OCD, David's insecurities, Kid Fic, Kinda, M/M, OCD, Patrick and David talk kids and the future, Patrick's niece visits, Rated T for language, at least for now
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-24
Updated: 2019-05-24
Packaged: 2020-03-13 11:14:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18939796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TuppingLiberty/pseuds/TuppingLiberty
Summary: When Patrick's niece Mellie comes for a summer visit and it's obvious that Patrick is so good with her, David has to face down insecurities about his feelings about kids.Set between coming out to the parents and the engagement, because I'm always a fan of people talking about these things BEFORE they get married. Or engaged.





	Mini-Button

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LeftWingLibrarian](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeftWingLibrarian/gifts).



“Awesome, Karen, thank you, I will call you just as soon as we get another batch in.” David glances over at Patrick, who’s grinning down at his phone even as he turns the sign on the door from Open to Closed. That lovely little smile nearly makes David miss Karen’s response, but he’s able to recover quickly. “I totally understand, kids go through such phases. When I was little I had a whole year where I refused to eat anything but baked brie and crackers. It drove Adelina up the wall.”  _ And the fact that your baby is now, apparently, jonesing for Rose Apothecary’s organic applesauce, well, I’m not going to complain. _ “Should be tomorrow afternoon at the latest. Okay, buh-bye.” 

He sets aside his cellphone, leaning over the counter and putting his chin on his hand even as his boyfriend winds around the store, still smiling down at his phone while he uses his other hand to organize rows and clean up anything. “What’s got you so amused, mister? Are you watching that video with the cat again?” 

Patrick laughs, grabbing the broom from the back and slipping his phone into his pocket. “Just pictures my sister sent. She and Mellie went to the petting zoo today.” 

He looks at David like he’s expecting a sneer or wrinkled nose, but David holds it in, because he lives to defy expectations. He puts on what he figures is a respectably neutral face. “Doesn’t she have school?”

“It’s July,” Patrick says, expectant.

David narrows his eyes. “Wait, this is that thing where public schools don’t go year round, right?” 

“Boarding school went year round?”

“I mean, I tended to escape and give myself a summer for a few weeks anyway, but don’t tell my parents.” 

“Weeks? Dude, we got three months of baseball and bikes and doing the library’s summer reading program and-” 

“One of those things is not like the others,” David says, cocking his head to show his amusement, “But yet it’s still adorable.” 

“That’s me.” Patrick points at his face and gives David a winning grin. “Button.” 

David takes over sweeping while Patrick opens the till to deal with the money, with only a little slap to David’s ass to get him motivated. They keep working through their closing routine, bantering here and teasing there. It’s not necessarily the most efficient work, but it’s certainly very them. 

When they’re walking to Patrick’s apartment, David’s overnight bag slung over Patrick’s shoulder, because he’s dating such a fucking  _ gentleman, _ Patrick reaches out his hand, then squeezes David as it slides into his. “Hey, uh, I have a question for you.” 

David tries to not let anxiety at Patrick’s tone get to him, and he mostly succeeds. Still, his “Yeah?” comes out soft and vulnerable, and David coughs, looking away. 

“So um, Claire was asking- I mean, every summer I-, so she was asking if I wanted to do it this summer, and I said I’m not sure, I should check with David-” 

“Do  _ what?”  _ David breaks in, confused, especially now that his name has been thrown into the apparent ring he didn’t even know existed.

Patrick’s hand slides over the back of his neck, a true sign he’s nervous. “Uh. Every summer I...for a little bit, I take Mellie?” 

“Take her where?” 

Patrick stares at him, as if he’s being really oblivious. “Like, she comes to stay with me. Partially to help Claire with childcare costs - the summers are ridiculously expensive now that she’s in school - and plus it’s fun family bonding time, and since her dad is out of the picture, good male model, et cetera…” He trails off, keeping his eyes on David’s face. 

David’s fairly sure he’s seeing that grimace that he was supposed to pull off earlier. “Uh- um. Okay. That sounds...like a normal family thing probably.” So, alien to  _ his _ family, but still. “What does this have to do with me?” he asks, eyebrows raised, teeth clenched. 

“Well, she’d be sleeping on my couch, for one, so you’d see her there, I mean, unless you decided to stay the hotel for the week, which is fine too, of course.” Patrick gives an awkward little laugh, like he’s trying to cover up for the fact that he’s going to miss having David by his side at night. “And she’d be coming to the apothecary everyday, of course. Don’t worry, my sister always sends plenty of stuff to keep her entertained. She actually,” Patrick laughs again, “she actually really enjoys helping me with paperwork as long as she gets to like, put stickers on it and stuff.” 

Despite himself, a smile creeps on David’s lips at the thought. “Like uncle, like niece?” 

“Something like that.”

They start the climb up the stairs to the third floor. 

“Listen, David, I know you’re really uncomfortable with kids.” 

“Oh, I don’t know, I think Roland, Jr. and I are really coming to an understanding,” David says dryly. Literally all of the times he’s said he hates kids roll through his mind like an Arrested Development montage, though. 

He figures the same thing must be going through Patrick’s mind considering the skeptical look on his face. 

“I’m not going to tell you you can’t bring your niece here, Patrick,” he says softly when Patrick turns to unlock the door.

There’s a small moment of relief on Patrick’s face that shakes David’s insecurities loose, but then it passes. “So I can tell Claire ‘yes.’”

“Yeah, of course.” God, he hopes that sounds sincere. “But um- maybe it would be best if I stayed at the hotel while she’s here?” David doesn’t even realize he’s wringing his hands. “Because, um, I wouldn’t want to like, curse in front of her or something.” 

It sounds stupid, even to his ears. 

The fucking thing is, Patrick looks so  _ understanding, _ like  _ of course David’s going to stay far away from the child. _ And he fucking  _ hates _ playing in to anyone’s expectation of him. 

“That’s fine,” Patrick says, a sort of resigned acquiescence in his tone. 

Something cracks, deep inside David’s soul, and he’s pretty definitely sure it’s not fine, not at all. But he smiles, and takes his bag from Patrick’s shoulder with a thank you kiss, and they move on. 

 

It is entirely possible that David is lingering at the cafe with their drink order, listening to Twyla’s tale about...he forgets the subject and she just started like five seconds ago, that might be a new record. It’s entirely possible that he’ll be carrying the drink order over in one of those cardboard carrier thingies because it’s not just his mocha and Patrick’s tea, but also a small hot chocolate, heavy on the whip cream and sprinkles. Oh, right, that’s what Twyla was talking about. Apparently her great-uncle lost an arm in a sprinkle factory accident? How is that even possible? 

The tiny hot chocolate is for, of course, the tiny human currently hanging out with her uncle just across the street. Patrick had texted last night, of course, when he got in from picking Mellie up. David has yet to actually meet her, though, and he’s hoping the cocoa will work like the applesauce did with Roland Jr. and be a good peace offering. 

“Heeeeeyyyy,” he calls, pushing open the front door to the Apothecary with yeah, a bit of a grimace on his face, unsure if he’s actually doing this. “I’ve got drinks!”

He’s interrupting, apparently, because he can see from their faces that the two Brewers, one pint sized, one just perfectly sized - no matter how much shit he’s gotten for being short, thank you, yes, David loves being able to lean down to kiss his man - both cute as buttons, obviously - have just finished laughing at something. The girl immediately goes shy, but David has the pleasure of watching Patrick’s face light up the way it does sometimes when he sees David. It warms David’s heart every single time. 

Patrick comes from around the counter and slips his arm around David’s waist, pressing a short kiss to his lips - _so that’s a go for PDA, okay, good to know_ \- and taking the tray from him. “I was just showing our newest child laborer how to inventory.” 

“Really?” David asks, a bit sarcastic, a bit surprised. 

“I’m good at counting,” Mellie says quietly, but defiantly, from behind the counter. She’s perched on one of the stools, and David eyes her skeptically. She looks like she’s probably old enough to count accurately but also like, David has no fucking clue if seven is old enough for that or not. And the only reason he can tell she’s seven is because Patrick told him. 

“Well, good, someone needs to be around here,” David offers, because he has no idea how to deal with this little person other than treating her like he treats everyone else. That has to work, right? He sticks out his hand for shaking. “David Rose.” 

Mellie peers up at him - seriously, there’s no way anyone can miss she’s a Brewer, she’s got Patrick’s nose, and his deep brown eyes with those little golden flecks. Her hair is darker brown though, almost black, and tied back in a French braid that she very obviously slept in, the way the hair is coming out here and there and everywhere. But still, definitely a mini-button.  

“I’m Mellie,” she says, slapping her hand against his, though a little hesitantly, as if she’s not quite sure she’s doing the correct thing with the high five. “You're Uncle Patrick’s boyfriend.” 

“One and the same.” David looks down at his proffered hand, then slowly draws it back, using his other to partially hide the grin that sprung up on his face. “Nice to meet you.” 

Mellie gives him a nod, before turning to Patrick. “Is there more stuff to count?” 

“Oh, my girl, you would not believe. Let me show you the back room.” Patrick helps her hop down, and they scamper off, leaving David alone.

Immediately, he feels a restless sort of energy that he knows from experience can only be soothed through some of his more compulsive tendencies, like making sure every single label on every single product is all pointing the right direction, and that all of the bottles are evenly spaced in their areas. It’s in the middle of these minute checks - with nary a customer to distract him, because that would make the universe  _ too _ kind - that David feels Patrick’s arms slip around his waist. His body brushes over David’s back as he goes up to kiss David on the cheek. 

“Hey.” Patrick’s voice is warm in his ear. 

“Um, hey.” 

“They look good, sweetheart.” There’s just enough understanding in Patrick’s voice to have David tensing up, feeling defensive as he turns in Patrick’s arms. 

“I’m not- I mean. I’m just checking them.” 

“And they look good. Hey, um, Heather called, said the order is ready for pickup. You could hit the Miller and Three Pines farms, too.” Patrick pulls a folded order list from his back pocket and holds it out for David.

David takes it, trying to pull off a smile, sure it’s not actually coming off that way. “You, uh, arranged for me to do pickups all day? Wh-wh-why?” he stutters. 

Patrick quirks a single brow. “You going to tell me you’d rather stick around here?” 

David knows his gritted teeth say it all. 

“Oh, or, I could take Mellie with me to the pick-ups, I bet she’d love getting a tour of the farms,” David offers, looking like he’s making a grand gesture. 

“Mm-hmm, um. That, um- that sounds really fun for her, actually, so yeah, you should do that. Wouldn’t want to bore her with inventory on the first day.” He thrusts the order slip back into Patrick’s chest, barely waiting for him to grab it before he turns back around to arranging.

“I’m-” Patrick takes a deep breath. “I’m trying to be respectful of your feelings here, David.” 

David bites down on his lip and nods, not trusting his voice. Luckily, he’s saved by the over-door bell chiming, and he immediately swoops in to help the customer. 

As he’s checking her out - after he spent a considerable amount of time nurturing her through the choice to by an entire new skincare regime - Patrick and Mellie head out for their day of pick-ups, their hands tucked together as they walk to Patrick’s apartment where his car is parked. 

David walks his customer to the door and then, because he’s a stupid piney asshole, watches Patrick and Mellie walk down the street until they’re out of sight. 

 

“Okay, seriously, and no offense, but can I hide in here for a bit? Between the hotel and rehearsal, I’m a little Moira’d out.” Stevie pushes the door open, not caring that David is cashing out a customer, and simply heads to the back room. 

David laughs apologetically with his customer, and it takes a few minutes to get through everyone that’s inside for the lunch rush, but eventually he’s able to step back into the storeroom and find Stevie, leaning back in one of two chairs, her eyes closed. 

“I’ve spent my entire life being Moira’d out, so I get it.” David sighs heavily as he sits down, too.

“Where’s your better half?” Stevie asks, sarcasm and disdain for the phrase dripping from her mouth. 

“Oh, off with his niece, doing the pick-ups.” 

“That’s probably fun.” 

“Yeah.” 

Stevie quirks a brow, then opens one eye to peer at him. “What’s up?” 

“What? Nothing is up. I’m fine. Everything’s fine.” 

She eyes him skeptically. “Uh-huh.” 

“Okay, twist my arm. So Patrick took Mellie to the farms so that she wouldn’t have to spend the day with me.” 

“You mean, so you wouldn’t have to spend the day with her, I think.” 

“Do I, though?” David makes a little sound of frustration, rubbing over his face. “I don’t like kids but like, I’m not going to like, tell her that to her face. I do have _some_ manners.” 

Stevie just raises her brows, so David makes a face at her. She persists, though: “So what I’m hearing is that Patrick, knowing your preferences to talk pretty much exclusively to people who are legally allowed to buy, have, watch, or read about sex, decided to create some fun time with his niece while keeping you out of it. So, you know, the best of both worlds. You know. What Patrick is best at.” 

“Okay but like, what if Patrick doesn’t want it to be two different worlds though? What if he realizes that he really wants  _ that _ world, and I don’t fit there, and I didn’t try to fit there, and he didn’t try to let me?” It spills out of David like pus from an open wound, this thought that’s been there for days. 

Stevie blows out a breath dramatically, her cheeks going all round. “Hoooo-kay, David, I’m going to declare that way past my pay-grade.” She rises, pulling her messenger bag over across her body. “You should probably make some time to talk about that with Patrick, though, right?” 

“Right.” 

She sighs again, brushing over his forehead and mussing his hair. He makes a lazy swipe at her in retaliation, but she darts out of the way, and steps out of the storage room. 

He lets himself take another deep breath, blows it out slowly, then stands to pull the cord for the light. As he does, a paper drifts off the chair he’d been sitting on, and he picks it up before he steps on it. He must not have noticed it earlier. 

It’s one of Mellie’s drawing, obviously, unless Patrick has decided to take up drawing and is already going full minimalist modern art stick figures on him. They’re all pretty recognizable, but Mellie labeled them anyway, apparently. There’s a Mellie, and a Mom, and an Uncle Patrick, and an...Uncle David.

He should think it’s cute. 

God help him, he actually _does_ think it’s kind of cute, and then he has to shut that down, because that’s not helping. 

Because no matter how cute it is, he’s still not - he still can’t- he’s just- never going to like kids.

But maybe Mellie’s okay. He can maybe give her a pass. 

He’s still looking down at the drawing when the bell tinkles and Mellie and Patrick come bursting through the door. Mellie zooms straight back to the bathroom, leaving Patrick to pass David and set one of the boxes from the trip down in the storeroom behind him. “Hey,” he says, smiling, not a single clue on his face that he’s secretly frustrated that David’s not good with kids. 

He leans in to kiss David, and David melts into it, at least until something pokes him in the face. He pulls back, and a laugh startles out of him. He pulls the piece of straw that poked him out of Patrick’s hair. “Patrick, have you been rolling in the hay behind my back?” he asks with his most scandalized voice. 

“Yeah, uh. Well. Getting a little hay-y became necessary when Mellie climbed up the ladder of Heather’s barn loft to see the barn kittens up there, and then realized she’s terrified of heights and needed Uncle Patrick to come rescue her.” Patrick gives him a wry grin, and David can’t help but lean in and kiss him again, his arms sliding around Patrick’s neck.

Mellie skips up behind them, reaching up to grab the drawing from the counter and taking it back to the storeroom. “I need to add some animals!” 

Patrick ducks in, pulling the string for the light for her. When he ducks back out, he’s got a huge grin on his face, his love and fondness for his niece apparent.  

David can feel his own smile falter. “Um-” 

“I need to get the hand truck and get the rest of the stuff from the car?” Patrick says apologetically, holding David at arm’s length. “Hold that thought?” 

“Yeah, of course. Um. Yeah, I’ll just, like. Be here.” He turns to the counter, reorganizing the chapsticks for the third time that day. 

Patrick stops his hands, pulling them up to press a kiss right on his knuckles. “Hey. We’re going to talk, soon as I get back, okay?” 

Nerves slide into David’s stomach, making it feel faintly like he needs to throw up, but he nods. He watches, unashamedly enjoying watching Patrick’s muscles work beneath his button-up as he moves boxes from the handcart back to the storeroom.

“Look at all this fun stuff we get to count tomorrow, Mellie!” 

To David, Patrick’s voice seems overly enthusiastic, and David can’t help but shake his head.  _ Business major. _ It makes David smile in love, and then hesitate, unsure of what’s coming next. 

When Patrick’s finally done, he pulls David out behind the register and over to one of the back corners, where they can talk without Mellie overhearing them, as long as they're relatively quiet. 

Patrick takes his hands again, holding them between their bodies, rubbing his thumbs over David’s. “Did I make the wrong call, trying to keep Mellie away from you today?” 

David purses his lips in a grimace. “I, um. No, probably not.” He shrugs, all carefully crafted nonchalance. “Everyone knows I’m not good with kids, so…” 

“I know you’re not comfortable around them.” 

“They’re just so little, and so  _ loud, _ Patrick.”

Patrick smiles, laughing a little and shaking his head. “I was just trying to be helpful.” 

David pulls his hands back, using them to tap his lips in thought instead. “And that was...really sweet and thoughtful.” He leans in, pressing a light kiss to Patrick’s lips. “You are...very good with boundaries. And I know I have a lot of weird ones that we just keep crashing into and you just always...roll with it.” 

Patrick’s smile freezes. “I’m sensing a but…?”

“Uh. Yeah, I just. Um.  _ But, _ ” David takes a deep breath. “Kids are like, different than, say, heights. Like it’s perfectly normal to be afr- I mean cautious, of heights. Intelligent even. Life-saving.” He’s slightly gratified when he makes Patrick smile and roll his eyes. “But kids are the exact opposite of that. It’s, um, I guess, pretty normal to want them?” 

Patrick can’t seem to not be able to touch him, his hands sliding over David’s hips and pulling them a little closer together. “Are you asking whether it’s normal to want kids, or whether  _ I _ want kids?” 

David shakes his hands, a frantic little movement so he doesn’t just...burst. “Um, yes, the second.” He bites down on his lip, leaning away from Patrick, cheating his body away like he’s readying himself to defend from a blow. 

“I...don’t,” Patrick says, sounding a little relieved to have actually said it aloud, like it’s maybe something he just now realized. 

“But you’d be such a good dad. Throwing the ball, and teaching them to count, or whatever.”  _ Why are you trying to convince him, David?  _ “You’re so good with Mellie.” 

“Yeah, because four days from now I’m going to drive Mellie back to her mom’s and drop her off and say goodbye until her birthday in October, probably. And in the meantime, I will have three lovely months of not worrying about her weird picky eating habits, or the way she gets  _ realllllly _ cranky in the afternoon when she’s tired, or the way she walks into situations willy-nilly and needs me to rescue her.” 

David lays his hand on Patrick’s chest. “Wait, we are still talking about Mellie, right?” 

“Sure,” Patrick says, all dry charm. 

“You really don’t want kids.” 

“I’m happy being an uncle.” Patrick shrugs, like it’s as simple as that. 

David thinks of the drawing Mellie made, and how it charmed him. His lips tip up, just a little. “It does seem like...all the best parts,” he whispers. 

“Oh, it is,” Patrick replies, conspiratorial. “I get to spoil her, within reason, and I get to be a novelty, so she’s always happy to see me. I love being Uncle Patrick.” 

Slowly, David’s body has melted back into Patrick’s, no longer resisting, no longer pushing himself away. His own arms come to rest on Patrick’s shoulders, almost like they’re slow-dancing there in the middle of the store to jazz music that’s incredibly not the right beat. 

Patrick leans in, letting his cheek rest against David’s. “When Mellie’s a teenager, and she’s got her first dance coming up, and her mom wants to take her to that place in the mall, who do you think she’s going to turn to?” 

David raises a brow. “Okay, but why would she come to you for fashion adv-” He gets it, halfway through. 

Because theoretical future Mellie will come to _Uncle David_ for fashion advice, obviously. 

Because theoretical future David is still with theoretical future Patrick, and they’re theoretically-futurely very much in love...and probably more than boyfriends. 

“Oh,” he says lightly, his lips closing on the sound. 

“Yeah.” Patrick’s tone matches his for warmth, and his boyfriend goes and makes it the slow dance they’d already been parodying anyway. He takes David’s hand, and puts his own on David’s waist, and lets them sway, sway, sway to the jazz. 

The spell’s broken by the bell ringing, and David jumps back, too caught up in the moment to look nonchalant about it. Seeing that it’s one of their regulars, he lifts his hand and calls out a greeting, starting to head toward him. 

Patrick’s hand still on his hip stops him though. “Hey, uh. Sunday’s coming up.” 

David can’t keep the smile off his face. “Yeah?”

“I was thinking about taking Mellie to the Elmdale Zoo? She’s crazy for animals.” 

“Okay but like, the Elmdale Zoo probably has like, what, a tired lion and some zebras maybe? We should really take her out. Go to the city. Maybe get a motel room? Kids like motel rooms, right? I mean,  _ I’m _ sick of them but I think you have to be if you live in one." 

Patrick grins, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Sounds amazing.” 

Walking away, David can feel Patrick’s eyes lingering on him, and he smiles radiantly at the customer, feeling like an enormous weight has dropped off his shoulders. 

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Schitt's Creek fic.
> 
> If you like my writing, please feel free to check out my other works, especially my original work. 
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated.


End file.
